I previously owned an 01 Protege ES 2.0 and an 02 Tribute LX 4WD. They were both excellent cars. The Protege was a little bland looking, but we never had a problem with it. Our son inherited it when he turned 16. He just traded it for an 00 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT. As he said to me when he was talking me into letting him trade the Protege, "Dad, the Protege just isn't a chick magnet." I had to agree. We looked at a Mazda6 when we gave to Protege to our son. The styling was great, but was just too cramped on the inside. We ended up with an Accord EX. The Tribute was a great vehicle too. Much better looking than the Escape IMHO. I was always surprised by how much I could pack into it during trips to Lowes. The 4WD also was great to have during the rush hour snow storms that Indianapolis is famous for. We traded it for a 04 Toyota Sienna when our son grew so tall he was no longer comfortable in the back seat. (He's 6'1" with legs that start at his neck!) Mazda's new products look great. The CX-9 and CX-7 have great aggressive styling. The 3 was a huge improvement over the Protege and the 6 looked light years ahead of the old 626. Unfortunately, it seems to me the Mazda6's tighter package scares buyers away who turn to Camcords. With a bigger interior, I think we probably would have bought the 6 over the Accord.

Here is some real world warranty claim information that some of you might find interesting...

This is a partial post of an article posted on blueovalnews.

Mazda vehicles have claimed the top place in one of the world's largest- ever reports on vehicle reliability. Nearly 92 percent of the Mazda cars studied, including the MX-5 Miata, aged between three and nine years old, suffered no mechanical failure of any type, outperforming all other brands. The report, which was issued by independent automotive extended-warranty specialists, Warranty Direct, looked at the reliability of more than 450,000 vehicles from 33 manufacturers, across the United States and United Kingdom. The resulting Reliability League Table' shows the number of failures reported for every 100 vehicles covered by Warranty Direct's policies. Mazda was rated number one with a failure rate of just 8.04 percent of vehicles aged between three and nine years old.

Mazda's score compares to failure rates ranging from 8.90 to 24.98 for vehicles in the top ten.

they need to keep their position as a styling innovater to keep their sales up in my opinion because other automakers have been taking styling cues off of Mazda's cars lately(Toyota anybody?)

I still haven't seen any pictures of the 08 Mazda 6. What is Mazda being like Honda used to be in keeping their future vehicles spy photo's top secret?

Audi8q: have you seen any pictures of the 08 Mazda 6 because you work at a Mazda dealer. I'm not asking you to post any photo's because they might be against dealer policy but I;m just asking if you saw any photo's of the 08 6?

Oh yeah Mazda sales were up in January 07 by 1,000 units to 19,265 sold vehicles from January of 06.

I saw the spy photo's with the next generation Mazda 6 but the next gen Mazda 6 is set for an 09 model release from what the Detroit news posted. Why? A new Altima has already come out and a New Accord will come out this September for the 08 model year but Mazda is going to another year put a new Mazda 6?

I hope maybe the 09 6 gets released early in 08. There just needs to be some minor improvements to the 6 so can be a 1000-120K seller at most.

Mazda sales were down to 22,067 units from 23.8K for Febuary 07 vs Febuary 06 sales.

Well, March sales were way up, to 37,742...about a 48% increase over March 2006. And YTD through March 31, Mazda sales were up 17.5%. Even the Mazda6, which you are so anxious to see updated has increased sales over 2006.

For their fiscal year that ended March 31, Mazda reported their best sales in the US market in 12 years.

Mazda sales have increased 8.5% from 116K units sold(YTD up to May 2006 period)to 126K units this year so far. Mazda has also seen their US market share increase 0.2% from 1.7% of the US market(YTD up to May 2006) to 1.9%(YTD May 2007.) It seems like the Mazda CX-7 has really caught on with the American Buying Public. I know sales were slow of the CX-7 when it first debut in the US but people learning about the CX-7 and purchasing it.

I don;t get why people had to take time to learn about the CX-7 and the 6 but Mazda can get a hit right out of the gate like the Mazda 3. I don;t get it if buyers want a sports car Mazda with the MX-5 Miata Mazda gets buyers right in the showroom and Mazda also has a heavy following in the compact car segement with the last generation Protege and now the 3 but buyers don;t automatically flock to the showroom and look at the 6 like they do the MX-5 Miata and 3. Why is this?

Because there are big names in the midsize sedan and crossover games, and Mazda isn't one of them. Same reason they could never sell a minivan here.

The same would be true of the Mazda3, except that it was so far above the rest of its field when it was first released that it received almost universal praise, some in very strong terms. Plus the styling was very popular, grabbing attention on the street. My sister is in love with hers, more than a year after she bought it. :-)

Cars like the Miata, OTOH, are in a class of one or two, so they sell more easily right out of the gate.

Sure the Protege and Pro5 were good cars, but not head and shoulders above the pack like the Mazda3 was when it was introduced. In fact, I thought the Protege sedans were quite ordinary in most respects. The Pro5 was a different ball game, and a good game if you liked sporty economy cars, but that's not everyone's bag. By contrast the 3 competed well with cars costing 20-40% more when it was new. Now the market has finally caught up in many ways.

Mazda's minivan was smaller, but I think they made a wise move by ducking out of the market instead of making it bigger to match the other carmakers. That segment has strong brand loyalty and is basically owned by the 3 manufacturers that divvy it up. No wonder GM and Ford were forced out. And look how Nissan has never been able to make a dent, even with the latest Quest which has some interesting and innovative features.

As for the Mazda5, I think that model is a big hit just waiting for the right powertrain. People see a van that small and expect it to have superlative fuel economy, which it doesn't. Bring a small diesel or a hybrid, Mazda.

"By contrast the 3 competed well with cars costing 20-40% more when it was new. Now the market has finally caught up in many ways."

The only car I would am really worried about taking away Mazda 3 sales with me being a Mazda fan is the new Mitsu Lancer. In my opinion Mitsu hit it right this time with the new Lancer plus with the a new EVO coming out soon Mitsu have some major momentum on their side and may see huge sales of their Lancer Line of cars. I think Mitsu may build up some huge streed cred with their Lancer line of cars as well. I know Mitsu has major street cred with the EVO but this generation of Lancer we may even see tuners souping up Lancers in base model trims(non-EVO trims.)

The only other car that really gets compared head to head with the 3 is the Civic but I think these 2 cars are cross-shopped a huge amount of the time with new car buyers and have been for the last few years.

Well, the Civic is a very important competitior. I would think the 3i would be cross-shopped with lots of the competing brands, including Hyundai. I have heard all these things about the new Elantra, I really must get in to take a look at it for myself.

And of course the new Corolla is due out early next year, which will give the 3i a run for its money too. And if GM doesn't drop the ball there will be a new Cobalt for '09 if memory serves, which may just be the cat's meow too, who knows.

The 3s has less competition, but there are still worthy contenders, including the new Lancer as you say. The Sentra is out of the running I think, but the Caliber has proven fairly popular and the R/T gives the 3s some competition too. Scion is bringing its game power-wise this time around, and you can still get Imprezas for the same price as the 3s and get AWD to boot.

The competition is out there, and there will be more. The market HAS caught up to the 3, which is why they are now selling at significant discounts (in my area, and especially the 3i) IMO. But no car is new forever. Hopefully Mazda will take just as big a leap ahead with the next 3 as they did with this one.

"As for the Mazda5, I think that model is a big hit just waiting for the right powertrain. People see a van that small and expect it to have superlative fuel economy, which it doesn't. Bring a small diesel or a hybrid, Mazda."

Mazda I don't think has ever installed a deisel or hybrid system in their car.

"Mazda's minivan was smaller, but I think they made a wise move by ducking out of the market instead of making it bigger to match the other carmakers. That segment has strong brand loyalty and is basically owned by the 3 manufacturers that divvy it up. No wonder GM and Ford were forced out. And look how Nissan has never been able to make a dent, even with the latest Quest which has some interesting and innovative features. "

As far as Nissan is concerned this generation of Quest(2004+) when it first debut it had qualiy issues and the layout of the control interior was too star-ship enterprise if you will. Nissan did make improvenents with the interior layout a couple years ago but it was too little too late if you will and some of the quality issues of year one some of those quality issues still exist. Even Consumer Reports rates reliability of the Quest very unfavorably to this day of the 2004+ Quest.

As far as Ford is concerned well the well the Windstar was a decent seller I think but I have alot of horror stories on Edmunds about its quality/reliability(or lack there of.) In my opinion, Ford didn;t make enough improvements for the Freestar over its Windstar predessor so thats why Ford dropped out of the mini-van market: basically Ford just quit the mini-van with the Freestar. I wonder if Alan Mullulay was at Ford a couple years ago if the Freestar would still exist or if Mullulay would have sent the engineers(at the time) to make some revisions on the existing Freestar.

"I have heard all these things about the new Elantra, I really must get in to take a look at it for myself."

Yeah the Elantra is really a nice car and I have sat in one but have never driven it.

"Scion is bringing its game power-wise this time around, and you can still get Imprezas for the same price as the 3s and get AWD to boot."

Yes Subie is a very viable competitor to Mazda. As a matter fact one of my mom's co-workers just traded in I think a Miata for a Subie Legacy. She looked at Mazda's because she had the Miata but ended up with the Legacy.

"Hopefully Mazda will take just as big a leap ahead with the next 3 as they did with this one."

I hope your right because the 3 is to Mazda currently as the 3 Series is to BMW: it just a car that sets the tone and shows or defies what the Mazda brand is about.

"And if GM doesn't drop the ball there will be a new Cobalt for '09 if memory serves, which may just be the cat's meow too, who knows."

Gm is having problems with the heads of the UAW in the plant where the current Cobalt is made. GM wants wants its workers to take on more working tasks if you will and cut workers overtime at that plant where the Cobalt is made but the Union has put its foot down from what I have read on the Detroit news a couple months ago I think. I'm surprised GM even scheduled a new generation Cobalt for an 09 release because the current Cobalt came out for the 05 model year so the existing Cobalt's last year on the market would be 08. Gm is on a 4 year model cycle with a car? Thats rare for GM.

I agree that it seems like a great idea in search of a better (or more suitable) engine. It is probably OK around town, but I worry about using it to replace my Odyssey. That would be family trips, 4 people, lots of crap, and whomping along on the highway at 75 through the hills of NY.

The 5 could probably manage, but it would seriously be sucking wind, plus might not get much better mileage than the Honda! (25ish on a trip).

I think they should make a sport model, using the MSP3 or CX-7 turbo engine. If they would make a version with the turbo and 6 speed, and add arm rests, I would trade my wife out of the Maxivan in a heartbeat (might even tell her first!)

I like the size of the 5, especially for 4 people. With a HP infusion, look out!

Speaking of which, I would love to see Mazda be the one to bring the truly-compact pick-up back to America. Heck, if they can sell a microvan, why not a real compact pick-up (Ranger, of course, is ducking out for good some months hence here)? Again, they would be in a class of one, unless Ford wanted to pick it up and sell it as a Ford as well (which wouldn't be a bad idea for Ford, IMO).

Now of course, with everyone (even little Subie) talking about when they will have their 50-state diesels ready for consumption, you know who's NOT talking about that? Mazda. And it was sad news when they decided not to try to sell the Mazda2 here. They are going to let Ford try to do so under the Ford brand instead? Why would they wimp out there yet go full steam ahead on trying to sell a microvan here?

I would love to see Mazda be the one to bring the truly-compact pick-up back to America.

There are about half a dozen compact pickups that could show up here the day after the free trade agreement with Thailand goes through. Of course, Ford could simply import some Mazda knock-down kits and assemble those here to get around the chicken tax, but that would require some actual forethought.

And it was sad news when they decided not to try to sell the Mazda2 here. They are going to let Ford try to do so under the Ford brand instead?

I wonder if it's a matter of factory capacity? The 3 is constrained by production limits, and the US market only gets a small allocation of Honda Fits (which will most likely continue until the Indiana plant opens).

Yeah the Elantra is really a nice car and I have sat in one but have never driven it.

I have a Mazda6 on order. My lady friend pays for and drives a new Elantra 07 Limited. What you get for the relatively small price is incredible. The stereo is fantastic. I ask her to drive it just so I can hear things on my cd's that I've never heard before. I think it's very quiet, more quit than my old Mazda6, and its breaks are superb. The clutch takes some getting used to , and its not a dragster f course, but overall its very fun to drive, comfotable, with excellent mpg. Love those less than $40 fill-ups. These days that's good.

Speaking of which, I would love to see Mazda be the one to bring the truly-compact pick-up back to America. Heck, if they can sell a microvan, why not a real compact pick-up (Ranger, of course, is ducking out for good some months hence here)? Again, they would be in a class of one, unless Ford wanted to pick it up and sell it as a Ford as well (which wouldn't be a bad idea for Ford, IMO).

That's one of the rumors that I've heard. In place of the Ranger, Ford is considering importing a small truck, possibly the Ford Courier from Brazil, the Ute from Australia and the Mazda BT-50 built in Thailand. Of course, it would have to make financial sense...

As for Mazda, I don't think ANY pickup fits their brand image, let alone a compact pickup. Besides, excluding the Tacoma, the compact pickup market is dwindling, from 800,000 sold in 2002 to just 611,000 last year, and sales are down 10% overall this year so far.

Despite gas prices, pickups are bought for their payload and towing, and since entry-level full-size models can haul/tow much more than compacts, getting about the same fuel economy, for the same price, it's a wonder they're selling at all.

I don't even know why Mazda has kept the B-series as long as they have. I haven't seen a single one on the local dealer lot, and it's probably because of a lack of demand.

Yes I read those same statistics in a recent issue of Autoweek. But consider that in the last two years ALL the truly compact pick-ups have gone away to be replaced by "midsize" pick-ups that were close in size and price to their full-size brethren. Maybe this is part of the reason that midsize truck sales have declined, too much overlap with the bigger trucks?

I wouldn't mind seeing Toyota AND Mazda bring compact trucks back to America. I bet sales would be good.

Mazda sold 25,671 units compared to last years 23,700(estimated number) and Mazda sales are up 152K this year vs 140K last year. The 3 is up saleswise 20.7 percent from 51k sold last year YTD to 62K sold this year. The CX-7 sold 4k units last month for a total of 20K for the year. A new 6 will be coming out but face tough competition with new Accord coming out. Mx-5 Miata is selling good.

One question: why Did Mazda have to style the Tribute because the style looked like a 1996 Mazda just with a boxier look. Why couldn;t have Mazda styled a much sleeker looking Tribute? Why couldn;t the stylists at Mazda incorporate styling cues from the CX-7 and Cx-9 in some sort of way with the Tribute? The new Tribute just doesn;t look the way a Mazda should look. The last gen Tribute looks so much better to me than the new one and as a Mazda fan I was looking foward to the 08 Trib but don;t like it.

One question: why Did Mazda have to style the Tribute because the style looked like a 1996 Mazda just with a boxier look. Why couldn;t have Mazda styled a much sleeker looking Tribute? Why couldn;t the stylists at Mazda incorporate styling cues from the CX-7 and Cx-9 in some sort of way with the Tribute? The new Tribute just doesn;t look the way a Mazda should look. The last gen Tribute looks so much better to me than the new one and as a Mazda fan I was looking foward to the 08 Trib but don;t like it.

Thank Ford for that one. IMO, Ford could've blown the competition out of the water with a new Escape/Tribute, with a more-competitive drivetrain, better ergonomics, and better styling. Instead, they wimped out and only reskinned the existing platform and carried over everything else. Mazda is limited on their influence, since it's an existing vehicle, and it's hard to make something out of nothing...

"Thank Ford for that one. IMO, Ford could've blown the competition out of the water with a new Escape/Tribute, with a more-competitive drivetrain, better ergonomics, and better styling. Instead, they wimped out and only reskinned the existing platform and carried over everything else. Mazda is limited on their influence, since it's an existing vehicle, and it's hard to make something out of nothing... "

I predict that the Escape will lose ground to the Honda CR-V(witch it alrighty is in a big way) and the RAV 4 pretty soon in the compact SUV sales race. Man the last gen Tribute was best in its class I thought or at least a big time contender in its class even though the sales numbers probably wouldn;t reflect it. I know the last gen Escape sold well but the interior was cheap and the styling of the last gen Escape wasn;t was as good as the last gen Tribute. The last gen Escape was a good truck but was missing the good stuff that the last gen Tribute had.

I was just looking at JD Powers car brands reliability in 3 year old models(2004) and Mazda was ranked 5th or 6th from the last(worst brand) on the survey. Thats bad for Mazda but I think the bad result in that survey was from the RX-8 and its first year bugs that brought down Mazda score as a brand score. JD Powers just doesn;t seem to like Mazda. Usually Mazda does better in Consumer Reprots than they do in JD. Jd only ranks the Mazda 6 and 3 only gives 2 stars overall! I'm surprised they only give the 3 2 stars overall since I think its best in class(or one of the best.) I hope Mazda is able to do on future JD Power surveys like they do in CR.

I bought a 2004 Mazda 3 at the auction for a customer Friday, it had 81,000 miles on it, and was amazingly strong and competent for its age. It drove like a new car, had no rattles or squeaks, even over bad roads. Must say, I was very impressed with how it had held up in every way. If Mazda is building them that well, their future should be secure. Plus, they have a sportiness and style to them. The Zoom Zoom thing seems to be real, and if they continue to bring out new attractive product like they have done since 04, they should be great. I'd rather have a Mazda 6 than a Camry, and would rather pay the price for one than get an Accord.

I like their cars. Different, innovative, good handling. Heck, even Mazda's SUVs are pretty interesting! Honda/Acura has gotten bigger, bloated, more floaty. Look at the new Accord. Look at what has happened to the TSX and TL.

My prediction is that Mazda is on a roll and will steadily increase market share.